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Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Scout Rallos cor Tomas Morato Avenue has never been better. There's a new spot called Berting's Grill. It's cozy and quite a comfy place to hangout from brunch to dinner. Of course it's high time we take a bite at some of their best offerings. A word of advice... grab your table napkins because this will surely make you mouth water!

Owner Chef Andrew Wijangco dubs this as the best Lechon Manok in the world! It's carefully prepared and marinated for 72 hours. He prepares this concoction himself! Their in house rotisserie makes this fresh off the grill in 45 minutes or less so they advise people to usually get hors d'oeuvres or appetizers to fill in the wait time or maybe you can order ahead before going to the restaurant. At first bite of the skin, you get that perfect crunch on some areas. It also reminds me of that saline-intense lemon grass flavor which most Visayan pork lechons have. Chicken skin has never achieved this kind of texture before and it was made not to be paired with any sauces. Although they do have available liver sauce for those who want it; this is extremely perfect with piping hot white rice. If you have tasted Pork Lechon from the region this will surely be a way to bring back those memories.

You can always start with Lumpia Dynamites which is a favorite among men who like to have them paired with local beers. It's Cheese, Ground beef-pork filling inserted inside shards of long Jalapeno peppers would give you that hint of spiciness you look for in starters like these. If you like cold beers you're in luck because this establishment only BEERBELOWZERO. It only costs 32 pesos and nobody serves it that cheap in this area. That's one great thing after another!

Now here's more!

A bed Crispy Chicken Skin hot off the cooker is one of the best things you can eat sinfully this side of town. Don't hold back on this one paired with the seasoned vinegar and hot rice. Some friends also swear to have taken this home and frozen them a bit, cooked the next day yet never even tasted differently. This can also be paired with cold house beers like what most patrons do on Acoustic nights, yes they provide entertainment for free on the second floor... you should pay them a visit every T-Th-S. Something establishments nearby can't even think of.

This is their Crispy Laing. A deconstructed version of it with the Laing containing bits of tuna and Lechon Kawali. It was good but remember to eat it with rice... don't even think of not doing that because the coconut milk made this too creamy. Wash it off with soda or some things off their drink offerings. Margarita's for the ladies; and again Beer for the men!

Crunchy and garlicky this favorite item on their menu boasts of sweet, salty and fresh kangkong rolled on wok heat and premium oyster sauce. It's one of their best sellers!

For the discriminating taste, they offer this crunchy breaded Cream Dory with a side serving of Salty capers swirled with butter and if I'm not mistaken lemon juice/rind. I liked this a lot... I'm a caper addict when it comes to pasta and this is nice pairing. Eat it while it's hot!

For the feast de resistance you can say NO to this Crunchy Kare Kare! Just look at that serving of Pork and the crunchy skin... this is something even doctors would order. On the side are steamed veggies (eggplant, Yard Long beans and bok choi) plus sweet - salty bagoong; it brings you back to that time when your Mom used to make it. This is aside from the house favorite Lechon Manok their BEST Seller! The peanut sauce cuts the saltiness out of the shrimp paste so you are in for a treat when you come and order this one!

The venue in the Scout Rallos Branch can accommodate a lot of people! You can also check out their celebrity wall when you come up the stairs. There are also articles you can read while waiting for your orders.

From the original owner of the defunct Thai In A Box (which was sold to other owners) comes this brand new Filipino hangout in Scout Rallos cor Tomas Morato. They also have a branch in Julia Vargas - Ortigas Home Depot if you are around the area. Free Wifi also available for those who need it. So make sure that next meeting, gathering of friends and special occasions would be spent in Bertings Grill. Why you ask?! Because it's definitely worth it!

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Happy, Overwhelmed, Ecstatic, Shocked and Surprised! That's what we felt this Sunday. Going back to my high school was already a huge thing for me. Meeting the same people, reconnecting and making old and new friends was just one of the perks. I met some of the greatest people in the world at that age and I must say a lot has changed since then. Some of the friendships I made there were for keeps, while some of them I didn't really get to be with since we were in different sections and of course there were groupies way back then. I got to know most of them just now and I'm so glad I did go there. Imagine if I didn't and just knew these people from their names, I knew some of them were even notorious like me back then haha!

Trinity College of Quezon City Batch 1995 in their Wacky poses. This was the first time I saw most of them after graduating high school, I never felt alienated and everyone was still so nice!

Trinity College of Quezon City Batch 1995 joined the Trinity League 3 months ago. We had a few things in mind when we joined the activities; to promote camaraderie with batch mates, the Alumni organization and to plainly represent. It was just like a dream but we weren't asleep. I didn't know this was going on for years. We were pitted against others but didn't have any clue how we'd fare in these games since none of us really did this for quite some time now.

I wasn't as excited to see that the school's gym was somewhat deteriorating. It's still classy don't get me wrong but I think its outdated. Their enrollment has substantially gone down a lot since we graduated. The fees increased, some Professors were not there anymore but the quality of education still was at par with the best in the Philippines. Everyone else graduated; but look at these seats we were in... it's the same one when we took our class photos years ago. Yes, it's the same bench, same old hot gym... same old class picture but we wondered what went wrong with the plans to upgrade this facility. Apparently, it didn't happen and I wasn't the only one who secretly felt heartbroken about it's condition... most Alumni did. The school did a lot of things for us and it was high time we pay back.

My batch mates were hilarious! (Ang kulit lang nila no?!) LOL

The Alumni Org raised some funds with this event for the rehab of the gym. It's a start and I hope the small amount the Alumni Association put up would help something snowball in the near future. If you are around the area I suggest you get your kids enrolled in Trinity University of Asia High School, its where I learned a lot. I came from that school and it made me a better person. It honed a lot of the country's leaders and professionals. It made them better if not "the best" in their fields.

We played in the Trinity League Volleyball and Basketball games just for fun; but while doing that we felt we got some wins we didn't expect along the way. Later on we found out that we were already playing for the Championship for Volleyball and battling for third in the Basketball games. Guess what happened!?? =)

Trinity College of Quezon City Batch 1995
Trinity League Volleyball Champions!

Trinity College of Quezon City Batch 1995 Trinity League Basketball 3rd Place!

Yeap! We won! We were so happy! =)

I'd like to take this bit and thank my batch mates for the fun and booze we took along the way. Thanks to everyone in the DRINK TEAM! LOL! Thank you for the overwhelming support we got from everyone in our group page and social media channels. Congratulations to our batch! I can't wait to see everyone in February for the awarding ceremonies. Thank you also to the Alumni Association and Batch 94 for hosting this year's activities. Thanks also to everyone at Trinity University of Asia (formerly known as Trinity College of Quezon City) because without you we wouldn't be where we are today! :)

Monday, August 29, 2011

Enjoying the night out in the town has been one elusive dream these past few weeks. The countless deadlines, events and functions we went to has completely wiped out the free time we hoped to have. Spending a little on things we adore like playing the same thing on line, winning, betting on those nice casinoeuro games were such a treat that I had the urge to go back to check it again. It was relaxing, exciting and a little time consuming but I didn't mind because the entertainment value of that was bliss! Best of all I didn't have to spend a single centavo for transportation because it can be done right in the comfort of our own home.

I'll probably ask my friends to camp out at my house and have a couple of glasses of wine. After a hard day at work it's probably right to at least reward yourself to something that will make you forget about the stress life brings each time you push pens whilst dressed in your best suit. Those online casino games would come handy if we run out of stories later on. We've got a lot of things in our mind that we'd let it all out in one sitting. Some day I'd like to get our own spin palace so we wouldn't have to arrange road trips that will be doubly tiring too. Time is precious as they say and that small frame might not be as valuable to other people but it's quite perfect for my crew!

There's a new store in town and believe it or not it's got the best gadgets that Apple has in their line. Best of all it's right at the heart of Resort's World Manila and open 24/7. It's designed to cater the most discriminating consumers as they show the best of the best Apple products and more on this side of the world. It's not just your regular run of the mill Apple Premium Store though and it's promptly called BEYOND THE BOX. Here are some highlights from the event!

Nothing would be better than getting the store blessed first!Imagine even the priest had an IPAD2 while doing the rituals for
BEYOND THE BOX.

The place was filled with family and friends of the corporation. Everyone was so happy because of the launch and they get to take away hundreds of prizes courtesy of BEYOND THE BOX.

The gorgeous Kelly Misa was also there to open the store together with Ms. Tessa Prieto-Valdez, Supermodel Sonya Smith and a lot of other celebrity guests!

The winner of the HIPSTAMATIC contest was also announced. They launched this on their Facebook page so make sure you like them and expect a lot of other prizes soon!

VJ Janeena Tan and PHILMUG Chair Elbert Cuenca hosted the event. General Manager for Sales, Marketing and Services of Beyond the Box Gerald Senolos was there to welcome everyone. We were all ecstatic about the things they offered in the store like installation and training to help home and business users alike.

So when you are thinking of buying that next Macbook Pro, iMAC, Macbook Air, Mac mini, MAC Pro, iPAD, iPAD2, iPod, iPhone and its accessories go ahead and indulge yourself with what Beyond the Box has to offer in their store! There will be more of these stores soon at posh malls nationwide!

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Getting a post paid subscription plan is really expensive these days that we barely think about the impact that it has with our finances. If you call a friend or send text messages you wouldn't really be monitoring your spending consciously; but worry later on when you see the huge bill. That's going to cost us a lot considering times are really tough here and around the world. That amount would have been spent wisely on food and supplies for the whole family. That'll last for a few days. Imagine how much you could save if you knew the right phones and plans to get in the US. Good thing there are better ways of communicating that's got everything you need in it like Straight Talk which is available at all WALMART stores nationwide. It wouldn't sacrifice quality or service either. The coverage is phenomenal and you don't even have to sign up for contracts to get it.

If you prefer monthly plans that would get you a thousand minutes + a thousand messages and 30 MB worth of data they have that too! You can opt to have unlimited service for $45.00 a month or $499.00 per year without worrying about reactivation or termination fees. That's the best offer since sliced bread! If I were you I'd throw away other phone services and use something that's got everything you need!

Doesn't that just sound so nice?! A few hundred dollars sounds mighty good in our books and you can get a lot of other things like another handset for a loved one or a family member. People would really think you're rich when they see you swinging those phones at work or play. My Mom agrees with me and she'll probably get the other phone that I'd buy with the saved money when the time comes. After all, my mom knows best!

I have to tell you something. This is something I really believe in. People in the Philippines and elsewhere in the world should not experience hunger. It's inexcusable to see someone ask for food when others even have an eight course meal in one sitting. We can all do what we can but we only can do so much. I am not a hero by any shape or form but I want to help. I think that alone can make a difference. It's what the World Food Program has been doing these past few years. Have you heard of them?!

If not, I would like to enjoin you to visit http://www.wfp.org/countries/philippines and check out the ways to get involved. You might think that you can't do anything to save kids and give them a hot meal with what little contribution you can make. A simple sacrifice of a coffee cup, splurge on food or shopping can literally equate to a lot of kids getting that needed nourishment here and elsewhere in the globe. Africa has been one of the hardest hit but Asia and the Philippines is not too far from it either. We have people who need it specially in Mindanao where armed conflicts are displacing hundreds of families. Some of them lose their livelihood, access to education and cannot start a new life after war. The situation is terrible but you still see a good sense of hope in their eyes, please help in whatever way you can. You can start by getting involved!

All these are available on the web site I mentioned above. You can click the images and go to the site and see for yourself how to do it. Nothing is impossible so make sure you tell your friends and family how. It takes a few informed people to let a million be educated about it so start with the people you know.

Bloggers can help too. I'm part of the Bloggers Against Hunger Movement. We can help spread the word to everyone and harness the power of Social Media. We have access to people and if you start letting them know how to help that'll be a lot already. We have a lot of avenues we just need to let them see that no matter how small or big they can contribute it can help feed kids and families from Somalia, Mogadishu, a lot of other places and our own country the Philippines. Start by going here! CLICK THIS